


Friends who Train Together

by Burgie



Category: Star Stable Online
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-06
Updated: 2016-09-06
Packaged: 2018-08-13 09:26:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7971724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Louisa and Alex have a chat while heading back to New Hillcrest Stables to get a new horse to train, and Louisa learns just why Alex is so desperate to rescue Anne.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Friends who Train Together

Louisa was getting used to getting beaten in races by Alex. Tin Can shared his rider’s love of going fast, looking like lightning on the tracks.

“I think he’s fully trained now,” said Alex, eyeing Louisa’s horse. “Who will you train next?”

“I don’t know, usually I just close my eyes and see who comes up to nuzzle me first,” said Louisa.

“I’ll help you choose,” said Alex. “You should train your little fat fats.”

“What?” asked Louisa, looking at her in confusion.

“Your ponies,” said Alex. They collected their money from Pauline and started back towards Epona.

“Oh,” said Louisa. “That makes sense. They are kinda chubby. That’s your fault though, feeding them all those treats.”

“What can I say? I like ponies,” said Alex. “Unlike my stupid brother. They’re just so cute and chubby.” She stroked her pony’s mane, Tin Can nickering softly at the gesture.

“Yeah, well your pony is a special Soul Steed. Normal ponies are slower,” said Louisa.

“That just means you get to spend more time with me,” said Alex. 

“You’re actually better company than I thought you’d be,” said Louisa.

“What, you expected me to be all mopey or outrageously flirty?” asked Alex. “Like I’d try to replace her with you?”

“Honestly, yeah,” said Louisa with a little shrug. “But you’re not. You are sometimes but most of the time you’re just good to be around.”

“Well, Linda is too busy with books to talk. She prefers books to people anyway. Lisa’s missing, and those two are really the only friends I have,” said Alex. “So I like hanging out with you.”

“Well, I’m glad you suggested it,” said Louisa. “And sometimes you tell me magical secrets.”

“Speaking of magic, want to head to the Dale?” asked Alex. 

“Are you sure?” asked Louisa. “You said that it’s close to a portal.”

“It is a portal if you can activate it,” said Alex. “I couldn’t do it but maybe you can.”

“We’re not going there to activate the portal,” said Louisa. “In fact, let’s not go there at all. We’ll go via South Hoof.” Alex growled, but even without the sound, Louisa would’ve been able to tell that she was angry. The air felt like it did before a storm. Louisa moved her horse away, and Alex sighed at the movement.

“Sorry,” said Alex. “It’s just… you don’t know what it’s like. I don’t just miss her, she’s more than just my girlfriend to me. I guess it goes both ways, anyway.”

“What do you mean?” asked Louisa.

“She’s my soulmate,” said Alex. “I always felt stronger around her, but I thought it was just some Soul Rider stuff. I guess it’s kinda related, though.” She shrugged.

“But how do you know?” asked Louisa.

“Because I felt it when she disappeared but nobody else did,” said Alex. “It woke me up and it hurt so much. I thought I’d been attacked but I looked fine. And I felt fine apart from the pain in my chest.” She blinked away tears, rubbing her chest at the memory.

“Is it like how Lisa said she could feel Anne in Pandoria?” asked Louisa.

“No, that was the Soul Rider bond,” said Alex. “We can sense when each other is near, same with our horses. But if our horses were sent to another realm or, Aideen forbid, died… we’d feel it like I did when Anne disappeared. Linda said she felt it when Meteor disappeared. Not that I took any notice at the time, because I was away, wasn’t I?”

“It must be hard, trying to balance friendship and a relationship like this,” said Louisa.

“They understand but I still feel guilty,” said Alex. “Just like they understand when I have to go off and be alone.”

“I thought that was just because of your temper,” said Louisa. Alex snorted.

“Nah, they’re not afraid of me. But it’s also kind of related. Because when I think about her, when I remember her, it’s not just the ache of missing a lost lover. It’s like a hole in my heart I guess.”

“How edgy,” said Louisa. Alex glowered at her.

“That’s the only way I can explain it,” said Alex. “I asked the druids and they told me what it was. Took them ages to figure out that it wasn’t just the Soul Rider bond, though.”

“But how was the bond even formed?” asked Louisa. “How did you not know that it happened?”

“I don’t know,” said Alex. “I guess it formed when we first started dating. Or maybe later on. I just remember loving her so much, it was never more or less. Maybe it formed over time. I don’t know how, either.”

“And here I thought you’d have all the answers,” said Louisa. Alex laughed.

“Sorry to disappoint you,” said Alex. “But yeah, now you know why I’m so desperate to get her back. Linda was the same with Meteor, and she was pretty anxious to get Lisa back at first. I thought that maybe they were soulmates but she didn’t act the same. Maybe that was Aideen being generous.”

“She’d already lost one soulmate, losing another would just break her entirely,” said Louisa.

“That’s why I sent Tin Can away,” said Alex. “If I lost him after losing Anne, I wouldn’t know what to do.”

They rode in silence for a few moments. Louisa sidled closer and rubbed Alex’s back, feeling her trembling.

“Let’s go,” said Louisa. “We have to try to get your soulmate back.” Alex looked up at her with a grin.

At the Dale, though, they were stopped. Fripp or someone must have known what they were going to do. Alex only sighed in disappointment at the sight of the force field, though.

“How can they keep you from her like this?” asked Louisa as they walked their horses the rest of the way to New Hillcrest Stables.

“It’s too dangerous,” said Alex. “I kind of expected that to happen, though.”

“I don’t suppose you can use the dark portal?” asked Louisa.

“There are two reasons why that wouldn’t be a good idea,” said Alex. “She’d jump me the second I got on that base.” And she wouldn’t resist.

Once at the stables, Louisa dismounted and walked into the middle of her stables. She closed her eyes and held her arms out. The feeling of leather in her palm made her open her eyes.

“Train your little fat fats,” said Alex, rubbing the mane of the pony beside her. Louisa could tell that her smile was fake, but she didn’t say anything about it. She’d go for a midnight trail ride with Alex that night, to keep her from doing something dangerous.


End file.
